Four Brothers Part 01
by ForensicsGirl88
Summary: What if Jack Mercer survived the shootout and went into a Coma instead and woke up to a girlfriend he remembered having? What if he found out that she was in a lot of trouble?


There lived a family of four brothers named Bobby, Angel, Jeremiah, and Jack Mercer.

Bobby was the oldest and most volatile of the brothers after getting into fights over the smallest of insults. Stubborn to a fault, he possesses a short – temper and has long since been hardened by a turbulent Childhood and numerous jail terms. Despite his short temper, he seems to be rather cautious around Jack, and is the closest brother to him, taking an almost guardian – like position in his life. His loyalty lies in only one place; his family.

Angel was the second oldest and the most rational of the brothers. He's level – headed, and sensible in even the most trying of situations.

Jeremiah was the third oldest, and the player of the brothers. He's often called the pretty boy by people around him, because of his constant need to impress women. He joined the United States Marine Corps right out of high school and is often made fun of by being questioned of how a player like him ever made it through four years of having little to no contact with women.

Jack was the youngest and most emotional of the four brothers. Quiet and sensitive, he's the opposite of his older brothers. He experienced a traumatic Childhood with major physical and sexual abuse, before he was adopted by Evelyn Mercer. Arguing and shouting makes him very uneased and he often looks to his brothers for reassurance. He's treated as the baby of the family, and often becomes frustrated by his older brothers' protective natures. His brothers often referred to him as "Jackie" or "Cracker Jack". Because of Bobby's guardian – like position in his life, and in part due to his loyalty to Bobby, he's usually the first one to go along with Bobby's ideas, and often does so without a second thought.

Melina Riley was a Vampire, forever being seventeen. At the time, she was younger than the four brothers, but close to Jack. Her father and stepmother were both dead leaving just her and her older brother Jared. After he disappeared, she began staying with the Mercers often. She was with them when Evelyn was murdered and the shootout that happened that left Jack in a coma. She was at the hospital day and night by his side, even when his brothers came to see him. Two months later, one night she was sitting by his bedside holding his hand as tears came to her eyes and fell onto it and the sheets.

"Jack, please wake up," she begged.

Melina continued to cry as she was devastated to see him in the condition he was in. Jack never thought that his life would go so fast in a single moment after being hit by a few bullets. Darkness was the normal for him lately, but as he slept, a voice came through everything, and he could feel a hand. He wasn't sure what exactly was happening but he knew he had to go towards the voice and that's the way he headed. He could now tell that his eyes were closed, and that he had to open them, slowly his eyes opened up.

"Melina? You're kind of loud," he smiled.

She felt his hand move a little and heard him speak as she looked up and saw his eyes open up. That very moment, it felt like her heart had stopped beating as she smiled, wiping the lingering tears away from her eyes.

"Jack, you're alive, you came back!" she smiled more.

Melina got up and gave him a slight hug.

"Your brothers and I were really worried about you. Bobby didn't really think you were going to come out of it, but you proved him wrong," she said.

It took a moment for Jack's eyes to adjust to the light in the hospital room, and for him to even see her clearly.

"Well, tell Bobby not to be planning anything for my room just yet," he commented.

"I'll make sure to tell him or you can do so," she smiled.

Jack smiled some and looked at her, he moved his hand around hers, stretching out his fingers some. He slowly took the time to sit up in the bed, he felt like he had been sleeping forever. He was feeling heavy and a little weak, figuring he had been there for some time just by the way he was feeling.

"How long have I been out? Where are my brothers?" he asked.

Jack slightly shook his head and then looked around the room, and then back at her waiting for an answer. Melina continued to smile thinking how much she was happy that he was alive and awake.

"It's been two months Jack, and your brothers are at home, they wanted to get some rest, but they said they'd be back later," she sighed.

"Two months? I wonder what all I missed," he slightly laughed.

Melina looked up at him a little bit more as she began to tear up.

"Jack…" she cried.

Jack looked at her noticing she was tearing up some.

"Mel, what's wrong? I feel fine you know," he said.

Jack placed his hand on top of hers as he smiled. Melina softly sighed.

"Jack, I know you're awake and you're feeling fine, but you would never understand what was truly wrong, and as for…" she was cut off.

Bobby, Jerry, and Angel walked in as they all had smiles on their faces seeing him awake.

"Hey Cracker Jack's awake," Bobby commented.

"Yeah, I'm awake so now you can stop with all the plans you had for my room," he said.

"Oh don't worry, the plans are just on hold for now while you're still breathing. Who knows Cracker Jack, something else could happen and it would leave your room lonely," Bobby laughed.

"I don't plan on letting anything happen to me for a long time now," he said.

"That's what you think Jackie," Bobby smirked.

Jack looked back at Melina wanting to know what she was going to say but his brothers were now in the room. Without another word, Melina left the room as Jerry sighed knowing what was on her mind. Jack watched her leave as he looked at Jerry.

"How long has she been here?" he asked.

Jerry looked at Jack as he heard the question.

"She's basically been here since the very minute the Ambulance came and brought you in. We only saw her when she came home to shower," Jerry replied.

"There was one night she did come home though because she really needed her rest, and I tell you Jackie, she was really messed up when you were in a coma. She had nightmares about actually losing you man, and I would have to calm her down," Bobby added.

Jack looked at his brothers listening about Melina and wondered what it was she had to tell him, he still wanted to know.

"Melina was about to tell me something before all of you guys came in. Any ideas on what she was going to tell me?" he asked.

Jack looked carefully at each of his brothers. The three brothers then looked at each other and then back at him.

"Jackie, Melina didn't stay here because she felt she had to. While you were in a coma, she got a phone call saying that her brother disappeared, and she told us about it…" Jerry began explaining.

"I made her come home one night to think through things clearly. You're all she has now Jack, which is why she wanted to stay with you, and if she lost you, she would have nobody. She lived with that constant fear everyday of possibly losing you by you not being able to wake up, and that's what most of her nightmares were about. She's in love with you," Bobby finished.

Jack sat there listening, letting them finish before he said anything in return.

"Come on guys, Mel's not…" Jack cut himself off.

Jack looked at their faces seeing that they were serious. How could he have missed the signs, he wasn't sure. He sat back in to the bed, going over things in his mind. He still couldn't seem to get over that he missed knowing. To have to be told by his brothers was also not something he wanted to admit to even in his mind.

"Where did she go?" he asked.

Jack was only talking to himself, he started to take the blankets off of him, he wanted to find her, and began getting out of bed. Bobby helped him out.

"You can probably find her in the Cafeteria getting something to eat. She never wanders far in this place, and we know she didn't leave since all of her stuff is still here. You want me to go with you to help find her?" Bobby asked.

Jack got out of bed thanks to the help from Bobby. Jack then nodded his head some as he looked at his brother.

"Yeah, I would like help finding her, as long as when we find her, you don't go say anything embarrassing about me to her," he replied.

"I promise you nothing embarrassing about you," said Bobby.

They both headed for the door. Jack wanted to find her that was the one and only thing on his mind at the moment. They walked out the door and he was helped to the Cafeteria where Melina was getting something to eat as she sat at a table by herself in the corner. Bobby then looked at her and then back at his brother.

"She's in the corner…if you want, I can give you two some alone time to discuss things," said Bobby.

Jack nodded his head as he looked at his brother, and then patted his shoulder.

"Thanks bro," he said.

Bobby slightly nodded and then walked away. Jack went over to where Melina was sitting as she didn't notice him at all until he started to say something.

"You know, my brothers have told me some pretty interesting things about you," he began.

Melina smiled as she looked up and didn't say anything to begin with, letting him finish.

"I've been MIA in a coma and all, so what was it you were going to tell me, before they showed up?" he asked.

Jack then took her hand in his and looked into her eyes for a moment.

"So, I ask again, what was it you wanted to tell me?" he asked.

"Jack…I'm sure what your brothers told you, they're dead on with things, and it doesn't matter what I was going to say, I'm sure they already told you since they knew about what was going through my mind for the past two months," she answered.

Jack listened to her and then sighed, looking over at her.

"Is that so?" he questioned.

Jack kept his eyes on her wondering what she was thinking right then.

"Well do you even know what I got out of bed for?" he asked.

Jack reached up and touched her cheek softly as she felt it and softly rubbed against it as she looked at him.

"I wouldn't have gotten out of bed for anyone. So for the third time, I want you to tell me what it was you were going to say. Not my brothers," he said.

"I guess you have a point Jack, and I'm glad I'm important to you," she said.

"Okay, so?" he questioned.

Jack was now hoping that she might tell him herself now. He moved his chair closer towards her as he looked at her waiting to see what she might tell him. Melina then softly sighed.

"Jack, I was really unstable while you were in a coma, and the only thing that kept me sane was just seeing you breathing, but I didn't know if that would be good enough…I stayed because I wanted to, not because I had to, and the only time I went home was to take a shower and that one night when Bobby made me go back to your guys' house to actually get some sleep and had to think through some things since my brother went missing," she explained.

Melina was on the verge of breaking into tears before she said what she had to next.

"You're all that I have now Jack, and I couldn't stand the thought of losing you, and it was a fear I had to live with every single day you were not awake, and it's what I had nightmares about," she finished explaining.

Melina looked deeply into his eyes.

"Jack, I'm in love with you," she commented.

Realizing what she just said, she quickly got up not wanting a reaction as she headed for the trash can to throw away what was empty. Jack let her get up, he had to give himself a moment to actually get up from his chair as he watched her throw things away. He walked over carefully and almost fell over but caught his balance and stood beside her.

"Thank you for telling me yourself. I wanted to hear things from you," he said.

Jack took her into his arms.

"Jack, I may be scared to tell you things myself because of what you might think which was the reason why I was trying to avoid it," she said.

Before Melina could say anything else, she was taken into his arms, being held close, and then softly kissed. Jack then pulled away from her.

"I think it goes without saying, I love you as well," he smiled.

Jack looked at her and waited to see what she might say to him now. Melina began tearing up more as she looked back at him.

"Do you really love me? And does this mean we're together now?" she asked.

Jack smiled after hearing her questions as he looked into her eyes.

"Yes, I really do love you…I would love it if you and I could be together," he replied.

"That's good to know I'm loved by you, and I would love it if we were together too!" she exclaimed.

Jack kissed her once more as he held her in his arms, and then pulled back some to look at her again. Melina smiled.

"Well, you know what, I think I might need to get back to bed or they might come looking for me, don't you think?" he asked.

Jack then looked at her since he would need her help getting back. Melina nodded.

"Yeah, you probably should get back…I just can't wait for you to get out of the hospital and go home," she replied.

"Well I can't wait to get back home either," he said.

Jack continued to look at her with a smile on his face.

"They should let me out because I feel better than ever right now," he stated.

Jack kissed her cheek as she helped him out of the Cafeteria and back into the room and helped him get back in bed as the guys smirked.

"Have a good chat Cracker Jack?" Bobby asked.

Jack smiled and nodded slightly.

"I think we had a great talk. Now, what are you guys doing about getting me out of here?" he asked.

Jack then looked at all of his brothers as he sat on the bed, taking Melina's hand into his waiting for an answer. Bobby then sighed as he looked at him.

"Jack, we already got the release papers filled out so you can start getting ready to go home. However, we have a situation at the house since Melina has basically moved in…she took your room for the two months you were in here, and we have no other place to put her, so would you feel comfortable sharing a room with her?" Bobby asked.

Jack looked at him and then at Melina.

"Well, it's alright with me if I have to share my room with her but is it alright with you?" he asked her.

Melina smiled and nodded.

"Jack, I think it's the thing that I need right now…to be close to you when you're actually not in a coma. You need to know what I put your brothers through at night if I do have nightmares again, and I would be stupid if I turned down the offer to stay in your room," she replied.

Jack got up with the help of Melina and started to get himself ready to go home. Just then, a Doctor walked in and looked at Melina.

"Melina, we need to see the stab wounds you received a couple weeks ago," said the Doctor.

Melina looked at Jack and his brothers, little did they know that she didn't spend the whole time at the hospital, and did some side jobs that would cause her a lot of harm as she sighed.

"Fine," she sighed.

Melina walked out of the room to a different one with the Doctor as Jack watched, and was worried about the stab wounds. She left with the Doctor before he could ask the man questions about that. He looked over at Bobby and the others.

"Do you know what that's all about?" he asked.

Jack continued to look at his brothers but no one had any answers. They were about to leave when the Doctor approached them.

"Jack, you may want to come with me and see them for yourself since it seems like you and Melina are very close," said the Doctor.

"What's going on? Where is she?" he asked.

Without another word, the Doctor led the way as Jack followed with Bobby along his side. Melina remained in the room waiting for her wounds to be looked at as the three of them walked into the room. It was silent for a minute when Melina broke it.

"I don't want to talk about it Jack," she said.

Jack looked at her, taking a seat since he was still weak.

"Come on Mel, talk to me," he said.

Jack took her hand and continued to keep his eyes fixed on her.

"Just tell us what's going on Melina. If you love my little brother, then you're part of the family, you know that," said Bobby.

Jack got up and took a seat right next to her, putting his arm around her.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

Melina sighed knowing she was going to have to tell them.

"I haven't been staying here at the hospital at night. I've been working at a Nightclub that Victor Sweet owned and now his buddies are taking over the ownership since Victor's dead and…," she began.

Melina swallowed hard before she continued.

"I got a job sleeping with other guys for money and one of the guys that came in, well things went wrong and he pulled out his switchblade and gave me a couple of stab wounds and that's why I…I'm sure you can figure out the rest," she finished.

Jack didn't say anything at the moment as he sat there next to her. What could he say to her right now, he wasn't exactly sure as he then looked at Bobby. Bobby was already getting upset and the two brothers were exchanging looks.

"Who exactly did this to you? Or should I just go start beating anyone I see?" Bobby asked.

The Doctor was still examining Melina's body where the stab wounds were while listening to the brothers ask her questions. She still didn't look at either brother because she was ashamed for getting into the line of work she did for a short while, and not telling them she was in trouble even though she was close to the Mercers, especially Jack after he saved her life from being nearly executed after her adopted parents were during a Bank Robbery. When she was confronted about who exactly beat and stabbed her, she softly sighed.

"Victor Sweet's men, I don't remember their names but they were his right hand men, they were the ones that took over the Nightclub after he died. That's it, there were only two of them," she finally replied.

"How's it look Doc?" he asked.

Jack took Melina's hand again. It was obvious that he was worried about her even though he didn't say it out loud.

"Just wait until I tell Angel, don't you worry Melina," said Bobby.

Bobby was upset and just talking out of anger as he usually did when he was mad about something. He looked at Jack again, and Jack nodded his head some at him. Even Jack wanted to make sure these guys pay for what they did to her. The Doctor finished examining Melina as he looked at Jack.

"There's a stab wound severely infected, it seems to be that there's a piece of the blade in the wound and we'll have to do surgery to get it removed. The longer she goes with it inside of her, the closer it will get to piercing her heart which will kill her," said the Doctor.

The minute Melina heard the news, she pushed the Doctor away and got out of Jack's grip on her hand and tried leaving as Bobby grabbed her to stop her as she started to struggle to get out of his grip.

"LET ME GO BOBBY!" she snapped.

Bobby wouldn't move out of her way or let her go, there was no way he would let her out after hearing what the Doctor had just said.

"You're not going anywhere. We need to make sure you're well," said Bobby.

Melina continued to struggle to get out of the grip while she heard Bobby talk to her but she wouldn't listen.

"I SAID, LET ME GO!" she snapped once more.

After she knew he wasn't going to let go, she stopped struggling. Jack looked sadly at her.

"Bobby, how about you and the good Doc here give me and Melina a second to talk," he said.

Jack then got up and walked over to Bobby patting his shoulder.

"You can block the outside making sure she can't leave, if that'll make you feel better," he said.

Jack then grabbed Melina and pulled her away from the door slowly. Bobby nodded his head some as he looked at his brother.

"Fine, but I'll be right outside the door, no one's getting out. Come on Doc," said Bobby.

Bobby placed his hand on the door handle, and took the Doctor out of the room. Jack looked at her for a moment before saying a word.

"So you going to let me in on why you don't want to go through with this?" he asked.

Jack sat down, and then looked at her again. Melina heavily sighed.

"Jack, I hate surgeries, okay? Only because there's always that fear that once they put me to sleep, that I'll never wake up again because something went wrong…I just got you back, and I don't want to take the risk in dying during the surgery already," she replied.

Jack listened to everything she had to say as he could understand.

"I understand," he commented.

Jack got up and walked over to her, he pulled her into his arms carefully.

"I understand, but if the Doctor said it was infected and there is a piece of the blade in there, do you know what that means? It means you'll have me for a while but every time you go to sleep, you'll have me worrying if you're going to wake up the next day. Can you live with that? Or can you just maybe try and go through what the Doctor said?" he asked.

Jack looked into her eyes and waited for an answer as she made direct eye contact with him.

"No, it's something I won't be able to live with, because that would be too harsh for you to have to go through every day…I'll go through with the surgery, but I want you there until I fall asleep, please?" she begged.

Jack moved her hair out of her face slowly as he looked into her eyes.

"Don't you worry. I'm not leaving your side," he said.

Jack smiled as she smiled back.

"You better not leave my side," she commented.

Jack then kissed her softly as he held her in his arms a bit longer.

"Let's tell the Doc the good news then," he said.

Jack went over to the door and looked at Bobby.

"Everything's alright. Though it looks like we're going to be here a little longer," he said.

Bobby nodded his head and smiled.

"I will go and get the Doctor then," said Bobby.

Bobby turned around and looked down the hall of the hospital.

"YO DOC, EVERYTHING'S GOOD HERE NOW," Bobby yelled.

Jack shook his head as he saw the Doctor coming back over to their room. Melina kept her sight on Jack.

"Well if she's going through the surgery, then we can get her prepared for it," said the Doctor.

Melina then looked at the Doctor.

"I want Jack there with me," she said.

The Doctor softly sighed.

"Melina, that's against the rules, no one can be in the Operating Room except for the Surgeons and the Patient," said the Doctor.

"Alright then, no Jack, no surgery," she refused.

Jack stood there looking at Melina and then the Doctor as he listened to the conversation. He shook his head as he knew how things would go, and that's exactly what was happening. He looked over at Bobby who was about to say something when Jack shook his head letting him know not to say anything just yet.

"Well Doc, it seems that we have a little bit of a problem here. Mel isn't going to just let you do things to her if she can't have the one person she trusts around. Now there are a few ways that this could go," he began.

Jack walked over to the Doctor and placed his hand on his shoulder.

"You see my brother there will do just about anything to protect those he cares about, and Mel is one of those people. So either you can do what she tells you, or you and him can have a little heart to his fist. What do you say Doc?" he asked him.

Jack smirked and looked over at Bobby who was grinning right at that moment.

"Just know Doc, whichever choice you make, I'll be happy," said Bobby.

Bobby kept the grin on his face while cracking his knuckles a little bit.

"My little brother sure is right about things, he can be pretty smart when he wants to," Bobby mentioned.

"You better make your choice Doc because like Bobby said, he'll be happy with the one you choose, and so will Jack, and regardless he'll be there with me, either you let him or Bobby here will take care of you," she pressured.

Jack listened to her and nodded his head some as he agreed with all that Melina was saying at that moment. The Doctor looked at her a bit shocked.

"Why do you want him in there with you?" the Doctor asked.

Melina smirked.

"Because I trust him…" she replied.

The Doctor looked at Jack for a minute and then back at Melina.

"He's a Mercer, don't trust any of them, please just listen to me for once," said the Doctor.

Melina stepped back and wrapped her arm around Jack and rested her head on his shoulder as she stood by Bobby as well.

"Just a Mercer, huh? This Mercer just so happened to save my life from being executed during a Bank Robbery, which is why I trust him," she mentioned.

"You're attached to him because of it? That makes sense," said the Doctor.

Bobby couldn't believe what he was hearing as he looked at Jack a bit shocked.

"Jack, did you save her life?" Bobby asked.

Jack nodded.

"Yes, I did. Maybe she'll tell you about it later when she's not in medical danger," he replied.

Jack motioned over to the Doctor as he looked over at Bobby, trying to get him to focus on that matter that was at hand for now. Bobby smiled a little bit.

"I would like to know how when she has time to tell me, she told me that you met her in a restaurant," said Bobby.

Melina softly sighed as she lifted her head off of Jack's shoulder.

"Bobby, I met your brother when he came into the Bank during a robbery and the Robbers executed my adopted parents in front of me, and Jack took action before they could pull the trigger on me…I told you I met him at a restaurant because I know how much he means to you and how much you hate it when he or either one of your brothers are in danger. After all, you four are the Mercers," she explained.

"So Doc, what do you say? You going to let me stay with her? Or you going to face off with just a Mercer?" he asked.

Jack used the Doctor's own words against him. The Doctor then looked at her and then back at Jack.

"Fine, Jack you can go in with her," the Doctor decided.

The Doctor looked back at Melina.

"Should we get you prepped for surgery? This is just going to be an operation where you can go home later today after you come around in the Recovery Room," the Doctor explained.

Melina nodded without saying anything.

"Alright, then get ready and you can meet us just down the hall at the Operating Room," said the Doctor.

Melina softly sighed and looked at Jack.

"Jack, can you ask the Doctor and Bobby to leave? I want to talk to you alone," she asked.

Jack nodded his head some as he looked at her and then over to the Doctor and his brother.

"Well, you heard the lady, didn't you?" he asked.

Jack walked over to the door and opened it for them to exit.

"So then get out," he said.

Melina just stood there and smiled hearing Jack take charge of getting the Doctor and Bobby to leave the room. The Doctor then walked out as Bobby started to do so, as Melina smiled at him.

"Alright, I'll be just outside. I'm not leaving the hospital without the both of you, got it? I'll make sure to get us some food too," said Bobby.

Jack nodded as Bobby walked out. Once they were out, he closed the door as he walked back over to Melina, taking her into his arms, holding her.

"So what's on your mind?" he asked.

Jack looked into her eyes at that moment and kissed her forehead before she said anything.

"Jack, what if I don't come out of the surgery alive?" she asked.

Jack continued to hold her in his arms and shook his head some.

"No worries, you're going to come out of this just fine, alright? I know you're strong," he replied.

Jack kissed her softly, trying to ease her fears about the whole thing. Though he was more worried than he was letting on at that moment.

"You're going to be alright. I'll make sure not to leave your side at all," he added.

Jack looked at her giving her a slight smile. Melina tried to smile as she was held in his arms but she just couldn't do so.

"I hope you're right Jack," she said.

Melina was obviously very nervous about it as she then got out of his grip and did what she needed to do to get ready for the surgery. She then put her hand on the door handle taking a deep breath.

"This is it…I either come out dead or alive," she said.

Melina opened the door and walked down the hall to the Operating Room where the Surgeons were waiting. They got her on the operating table with her laying on her stomach and got her hooked up to the Monitors and injected her with something to make her drowsy. She knew Jack was right by her side as the main Surgeon looked at Jack.

"Jack, you want to put the gas mask on her? I figured she would be more eased around you if you did it?" the Surgeon asked.

Jack looked at the Doctor and nodded his head some as he looked at her. He then took the gas mask from them.

"I'll be right by your side, I promise," he said.

Jack kissed her softly, then placed the mask on her just as he was suppose to before she could say anything. Though as he did so, he was getting worried, but remained strong for her as he looked at her as she slowly fell asleep. Melina held onto his hand knowing he was there. The Doctors noticed she was asleep as they began operating on her as Jack stood there watching, there was no way he wanted to leave her, not at all. In the middle of it, Melina was trapped in a PTSD nightmare of the Bank Robbery as her heart rate started going up and she constantly squeezed his hand, and began to sweat really bad but the Doctors didn't notice as they were too focused on the surgery of getting the piece of the blade removed that was stuck inside of her. Jack watched knowing something was wrong, though he wasn't sure what it was.

"Come on guys, hurry up. Something's wrong. Look at her," he snapped.

There was a hint of anger as he looked over at them. Though he didn't want to move at the risk of doing something wrong, he looked at the Doctors trying to get them to do something for her. Melina continued to fall deeper into the nightmare of the very day that her parents were murdered as she gripped onto Jack's hand tighter. The Doctors finally gave Jack their attention as they nodded trying to hurry the operation along. Bobby came over to the window, just watching as he was also worried about her as she woke up, trying to take her hand out of the grip but wasn't working as she had no idea what was going on or anything. Jack noticed that she had woken up as he looked over at the Doctors once more, not letting go of her hand for anything.

"Hey she woke up, aren't you guys suppose to handle this better?" he snapped.

There was another hint of anger, as he was trying to stay calm but it wasn't working right at that point. He then turned his attention back to her.

"Please relax," he calmly said.

Jack didn't want anything to happen to her, and he was getting more worried with each passing moment. Melina's hand stayed in his as she looked up at him bursting into tears as the Surgeons stopped the operation.

"We can't continue until she's asleep again," said one of the Surgeons.

Melina continued to look at Jack with tears in her eyes.

"It hurts Jack," she cried.

Bobby then entered the room as he walked over to Jack, knowing he was getting angry.

"Jack, you need to calm down…I know you're angry about this, she's going to be fine," said Bobby.

Jack was trying to calm down but it was hard when he saw Melina in so much pain as she was. One of the Surgeons then managed to pull the piece of the blade out that was inside of her.

"Got it, now we just need to patch it up, and she can go to the Recovery Room," said the Surgeon.

The Surgeon then looked at Jack.

"She's going to be fine," said the Surgeon.

Jack heard the Doctor as he was then able to take a breather for now.

"She better be alright," he said.

"Jack," said Bobby.

Jack's focus stayed on Melina as he held onto her hand continuously.

"How do you feel?" he asked.

Jack was concerned about her. Melina made sure she kept her hand in his.

"I feel okay, but still in a lot of pain but I guess it's natural," she replied.

The Surgeons then got her transported to a bed and rolled her into the Recovery Room as she was still awake.

"I just want to go home," she mentioned.

Jack nodded his head some as he looked at her.

"I want to go home too, but I don't think they're going to let you go," he said.

Jack didn't want to leave her side for anything; he just wanted to be there with her. He knew he was still weak but he didn't let that fact bother him at all at the moment, only wanting to let her know he was there for her. Melina teared up a little.

"But the Doctor said that I can go home once I come around in the Recovery Room and that's where I am now, and I'm awake and I feel okay…I just…Jack…I don't even like hospitals and I spent too much time here already. Please just get me out of here," she cried.

Jack listened to her and looked at her as he wondered what they should do.

"Alright, I'll see what it is we can do," he said.

Jack then looked at Bobby wondering what his opinion would be on the whole thing. Bobby just nodded his head to him, knowing that they would do whatever they could do to make her more comfortable.

"We will take you home now if you would like," he said.

Jack then looked at Bobby once more. Bobby then nodded again at him, knowing he would help his brother and Melina out no matter what. Melina slightly smiled.

"That's what I want, I want to go home. Please go ask the Doctor or whatever if it's okay," she smiled.

The Doctor then walked into the room as Bobby asked if they could take her home and after a small check up, the Doctor nodded.

"Yes, she can go home, and she will need antibiotics to fight the infection in the stab wound, and then she should be good to go with no problems," said the Doctor.

The Doctor then gave Bobby the release papers as he signed them and within minutes, Melina got out of bed and got ready to go home as she walked out with the brothers. Bobby helped her get in the Car as she sat in the back seat while Jack sat in the front seat. Bobby started the car and began driving home as Jack looked back at Melina wondering if she was doing alright. He couldn't wait until they got home so that he could relax with her.

"Are you doing alright back there?" he asked.

Jack kept his sight on her as she nodded and smiled.

"Yeah, I'm doing alright back here…still alive and breathing, that's for sure," she replied.

Once they made it home, Jack got out of the car and opened the door for her and waited for her to come out. Melina slowly climbed out and the door was closed behind her. They then went inside as Melina decided to go upstairs without saying anything and went to Jack's room, laying on the bed, and made enough room so he could lay next to her as she waited for him to come upstairs. Jack was right behind her but stayed downstairs for a moment to talk to his brothers. He then left Bobby as he was telling the others what happened. He made his way up the stairs slowly and then to his room. He stood in the doorway looking at her for a moment and then went over and sat down beside her.

"Do you want some alone time?" he asked.

Melina smiled as she looked at him and nodded.

"Alone time with just you, and no one else," she replied.

Jack laid down beside her and brought her into his arms carefully as she continued to smile.

"Then you have me all to yourself," he said.

Jack laid there getting comfortable. He closed his eyes as he held her against him. Melina ended up falling asleep in his arms until a while later when she started to have another nightmare of the Robbery as she began to toss and turn, sweating and crying softly. He stayed asleep for awhile until he felt her moving against him as he held her. He woke up some and saw her as he tried to wake her up.

"Mel, wake up," he said softly.

Jack was worried about her as it could be hinted in his voice. Melina looked at him after she woke up.

"What do you want Jack?" she asked.

"You were having a nightmare," he replied.

Melina didn't say anything when there was a knock on the door to break the silence. Jack got up out of bed and went over to the door and opened it, standing at the door was Bobby. He then walked out of the room a little bit, closing the door behind him.

"I just wanted to let you know that Angel, Jerry, and I are going to take care of some business down at the Nightclub. Stay here with Melina, and whatever you do, don't open the door for anyone, you know what happened the last time when you did, and we're not going to have it happen again," said Bobby.

Jack nodded.

"Yeah, I do, I don't feel like getting shot again. Just please be careful," he said.

Bobby smirked.

"We will, and by the way, let Melina know that she and I are going to have a serious talk when I get home, and don't worry, I'm not going to kick her out. I know how attached she is to you," said Bobby.

Jack nodded his head some as he looked at his brother.

"Good luck," he said.

Bobby patted his shoulder.

"Thanks Cracker Jack, we'll be back as soon as we can," said Bobby.

Bobby then walked away and met up with his other brothers and left the house. Jack went back over to the door and opened it. He looked in on Melina and then walked inside as he put on a smile. Melina watched as she smiled back at him.

"Hey, sorry about that," he said.

Jack sat down on the bed again and kept his smile.

"Everything okay?" she asked.

Jack looked at her and nodded his head some.

"Don't worry about it. Bobby just went out for something. He said he wants to talk to you when he gets back," he said.

Melina sighed as she listened to him.

"I had a feeling he would want to…he's going to want to know about some things that I don't really want to talk to him about, but if I have to, then I have to," she said.

"How are you doing? Any pain?" he asked.

Jack placed his hand on hers softly as she smiled at him.

"I'm doing okay. I'm in a small amount of pain but that's all there is to it…nothing more," she replied.

Melina slowly leaned up and kissed him softly. Jack kissed her back as he then pulled away some.

"Well it's a good thing that the pain is only a little but," he said.

Jack then sat on the edge of the bed and put his elbows on his knees as he sat there and thought some.

"Well, if you want, I can be there when you have to talk to Bobby. That is if you want?" he offered.

Jack turned some and looked over at her.

"Jack, I know he's going to yell at me and would probably want to talk to me alone anyways…and if you were there if you could, you would get very uneased," she refused.

Jack looked at her and nodded some, he knew she was right. He then laid back down on the bed as he pulled her into his arms and held her against him.

"You're right, so then we should just enjoy our time together," he said.

Jack kissed her passionately as she kissed him back.

"You're right, we should enjoy our time together Jack," she smiled.

Melina's hand made its way under his shirt as it trailed up his chest a little bit. Jack slightly smiled as he kissed her a little more. He then rolled over and looked down at her as she was under him. He looked at her beautiful face as he kissed her again deeply. Both of her hands went under his shirt, but then tugged at the bottom of it a little bit trying to pull it off of him.

"Could you help me?" she asked.

Soon enough, Jack's shirt had come off as he looked down at her. He kissed her once more as he started to lift her shirt some. He then stopped for a moment as he caught his breath.

"We should stop," he said sweetly.

Jack wanted to continue but he knew it would be better if he stopped there. He kissed her one last time and then pulled back as he continued to smile at her. Melina softly sighed after she heard him in what he had to say.

"Fine," she said.

Melina's hands then went back up his chest and to his shoulder as she saw the scar from the bullet wound and then looked away. Seeing the wound really upset her because of how close she was to losing him. She then picked his shirt up and handed it to him.

"Please put it back on Jack. I'm sorry for asking you to take it off," she said.

Melina didn't want to admit how the scar made her feel. Jack took his shirt and kept it in his hands as he looked down at it. He then looked at her when she asked him to put it back on.

"Sorry," he apologized.

Jack put his shirt back on and then looked at her again. He wondered what it was that was going through her mind, since he couldn't read it or anything along those lines. He wasn't even good at reading people so right now it was hard for him to find the right thing to say. If she wasn't hurt, he would've kept going, or maybe he stopped because he didn't just want to use her and he did in fact love her. Melina looked at him and tried to at least slightly smile.

"It's fine Jack, don't be sorry…it wasn't your fault that you were shot," she sighed.

Melina looked away from him towards the window.

"I hope Bobby gets here soon. I want to get the lecture over and done with," she mentioned.

Jack sat there and listened to her and shook his head some.

"Alright, tell me what's going through your mind? I can't read it, I can't even read people," he said with frustration.

Jack wanted to know, everything seemed to be centered around his scar. He wanted to know what she was thinking about every time she would see it. Melina looked over at him when she heard him starting to get frustrated as she sighed.

"Jack, I almost lost you…it's hard to look at the scar because every time I see it, it just brings back a lot of bad memories. You have to remember, I was here when it happened. For the month you were in a coma, I felt like I had lost everything, because I didn't know if you would come out of it or not. Don't you get it Jack? Don't you understand my attachment level with you?" she asked.

Jack nodded and pulled her into his arms and held her close to him.

"I do understand, but you also have to think that I'm here now. I came back and I'm not going anywhere this time. The scar is always going to be there, and someday you're going to have to look at it, or maybe I'll always have to wear a shirt around you. Maybe if you look at it as a reminder of me being brought back to you instead of being taken away, then maybe it wouldn't be so hard," he replied.

Melina sighed as she stayed in his arms.

"Jack, I know the scar's always going to be there but…forget it," she slightly snapped.

Jack looked down at her in his arms and took the moment of silence between them before saying anything at all.

"But what? Come on, you can tell me anything, so just tell me, please?" he asked.

Melina looked at him again.

"I just can't stand looking at them, it's just a little bit too much for me right now," she replied.

Before Melina could say anything else, she heard the front door open and it was already the three brothers back from their task of what they needed to do.

"JACK! GET DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW! WE NEED TO TALK TO YOU!" Bobby yelled.

Jack looked at her more as he wanted to say something more but he knew better than to take too much time after Bobby had called for him.

"We better get down there," he said.

Jack took a step back from her and then held out his hand for her to take.

"Come on, we're going down there together," he said.

Jack motioned for the door as Melina softly sighed as she took his hand and nodded in agreement as they went downstairs. The minute they were, Bobby looked at the both of them.

"Jack, we have a problem…we can't kill the two owners that abused Melina, she's stuck in a contract and she can't get out of it. She belongs to them," Bobby explained.

Jack looked at his brothers and then at Melina, then back to his brothers.

"What are we going to do then? There has to be something. Anything. Maybe we can go and talk to them," he suggested.

Jack looked at Melina again and then at Bobby for the other half of his needed approval. Melina looked at Jack and then at Bobby and then back at him.

"We can try and talk to them, but I don't know how much good it'll do, they usually have their contracts air tight with no loop holes, and I don't want you to get shot again," she said.

Bobby looked at Jack.

"You can try, and we'll go with you especially if something goes wrong," said Bobby.

Jack nodded his head as he looked at them, and then directly at Melina.

"We can do this. At least we can try and do something. I don't think I'd be a very good guy for you if I didn't try all I could do for you," he said.

Jack kissed her cheek softly and then looked towards the door and then at his brothers and her.

"Lets do this, all of us," he said.

Melina slightly smiled as she walked to the door with Jack. The brothers then followed him and they all got into the car, as Bobby went into the driver's seat and drove them to the Nightclub. Once they got there, Melina climbed out and waited for Jack as Bobby looked at him.

"Well be out here if you need us, just so nothing looks suspicious," said Bobby.

Jack nodded his head as he looked at Bobby, and then looked at Melina as he put his arm around her.

"Alright, lets do this," he said.

Jack put his brave face on and looked towards where it was they had to go. He knew he had to act brave but not foolish this time around. Melina nodded and let Jack put his arm around her as they walked inside to find the two owners. Once she was able to point them out, she led him over to the VIP table where they were sitting and looked at them as the two men looked at Jack.

"What do you want Mercer? And weren't you shot about a month ago three times? How in god's name did you survive?" the first owner asked.

Jack kept his arms around Melina and looked at them.

"Didn't you know I'm the pretty one of us Mercers? I can't just go out as easily," Jack grinned.

Jack's face went back to showing no expression as he looked at Melina and back to the owners.

"We are here to talk about her contract and how we can get her out of it. Simple as that," he said.

Jack looked at them a bit more letting them know he was serious. Both men rolled their eyes as they listened to Jack and then looked at each other when they heard the reason why he was there.

"Well, next time we send guys out Mercer, you won't come back and as for getting Melina out of the contract…" the second owner interrupted himself.

The owner then grabbed Melina and put his gun to her head.

"You have twenty – four hours to come up with forty thousand dollars, and I know Bobby's in on this, so that'll be an extra ten thousand, coming up to be fifty grand. If you don't bring it to us by then, then this little pretty girl will be six feet under," the second owner explained.

The owner then threw her to the other owner as he grabbed her arm and took her upstairs to the bedroom they kept her in as the second owner looked back at Jack. The first owner then came back downstairs and when he did, the moment turned tense for Jack in just a few short moments. Jack didn't want to let her go but as the gun was out, he froze wanting nothing more than to punch the two owners but he knew better than that.

"Does that answer your question Mercer? Incase you don't see her again, you might want to go say goodbye to her…you have five minutes to do so," said the second owner.

Jack pushed past the two owners and went upstairs and into the room they had put Melina in. He looked at her sadly as he walked into the room.

"I'm sorry, this is my fault, and it was a bad idea. I'm sorry," he apologized.

Jack looked down at the floor not knowing what else to say at the moment. Melina looked at him a bit frustrated as she shook her head.

"No Jack, it's not your fault at all…it's mine, I'm the one that got us into this mess," she sighed.

Tears then came to Melina's eyes as she looked at him a bit more.

"I'm never going to see you again, am I?" she cried.

Jack looked at her and slowly moved towards her a little bit.

"You will see me again, alright? Don't worry. I'll find someway to get you out of this, I have to," he replied.

Jack kissed her cheek softly and then looked at her wondering what she would say next. Melina had more tears stream down her cheeks as she continued to look at him.

"I want to see the scar Jack," she cried.

Jack looked at her with a slight surprise.

"You want to see the scar? Really? Are you sure about that?" he asked.

Jack wanted to know if she was sure she was ready for it. Melina shook her head.

"No, I'm not sure, but I still want to see them incase I never see you again…please Jack?" she begged.

Jack would have put up a fight about it, since she still wasn't ready for them, how could he really when she talked like that.

"Alright, fine," he said.

Jack reluctantly took his shirt off slowly allowing her to see the scar that he carried around with him. Melina watched as she saw the scar from the bullet. She walked closer to him and ran her hand over it as more tears came to her eyes.

"Jack…" she cried.

Jack took a deep breath as he watched her, and then another deep breath when she put her hand over his scar.

"What?" he asked.

Melina looked up at him as her hand was still on his scar.

"Don't leave me here…" she begged.

Jack pulled her into his arms softly.

"I don't want to leave you here, but I don't think they will let me just stay here with you," he stated.

Jack tried to think of what he could do to help her out. Melina started to softly cry as she was pulled into his arms. Just then, there was a knock on the door.

"Come on Mercer, time's up," said the first owner.

Jack kept holding onto her as she then kissed her ignoring the guy at the door.

"I love you," he mentioned.

Melina kissed him back hearing the guy, as she had Jack try and pull away from her but she wouldn't let go of him.

"I love you too, but please Jack, don't leave me…" she cried.

"I don't want to leave you, but I think that they will come in and drag me out," he sighed.

Jack didn't let her go, as the first club owner came in with a gun and pointed it at him.

"I said time's up Mercer," repeated the owner.

Jack let her go slowly as he looked at her for a moment while he put his shirt back on.

"Time's up dear, sorry," he said sadly.

Jack turned to the owner with the gun.

"I was just leaving, maybe you should learn to speak louder," he said.

The owner pushed Melina back as he kept his sight on Jack.

"Tell Bobby that you Mercers have twenty – four hours or she's dead, and so will you," said the Owner.

Jack nodded his head some.

"You got it big guy, I'll tell my gun waving brother exactly what you said and then I'm sure he'll be pleased to know there's more money to get since he's involved. When everything works out, watch your back," he said.

Jack gave the owner a slight wink as he went towards the door. Melina watched him walk out as the owner smirked. Out in the car, Bobby and the other two brothers waited for Jack to come back. Jack walked up to the car and then looked back at the Club. He then kicked the ground and then looked back at the car as he got in and looked at his brothers.

"So they want us to pay fifty grand…it was forty until he said ten more because you're involved Bobby, isn't that just great," he sighed.

Bobby sighed.

"I'm sorry that I made the cost for getting her back so high, however, we need to look at the contract and see if there's a loophole to get her out of it…how much time do we have Jackie?" Bobby asked.

"No sorry talk from you, I don't need you getting soft on me," he slightly grinned.

Jack attempted to lighten the mood before getting down to the worst parts.

"They told us twenty – four hours. These guys have no concept of time, it seems," he said.

The three brothers exchanged looks before they looked back at Jack. Bobby heavily sighed before he said anything.

"Twenty – four hours? That's clearly impossible to get fifty grand for them. Well, we need to get home and check the contract. Did they say what they would do to her at the end of the twenty – four hours?" Bobby asked.

It was obvious that Jack was getting a bit angry as he looked at all of his three brothers once more. He then sadly sighed, he didn't feel right about leaving her behind at the Club, but he had to find a way to set her free.

"Everything they said they would do to her wasn't good," he sadly sighed.

Bobby shook his head slightly.

"They'll do what they can to her, I know them well enough, even bury her alive," said Bobby.

Bobby then drove them home, and when they got home, they all went inside and pulled the contract out to find any loopholes to get Melina out of it. As they looked hard at it, Jerry found one as he looked Jack.

"I found a loophole, you have to challenge them at something," said Jerry.

Jack looked at him and thought for a moment as he scratched his head some.

"What can I challenge them in?" he asked.

"Challenge them in singing or something, because if you win, you can free her, but if you lose, she dies, so you want it to be something you're really good in," Jerry suggested.

Jack looked at him and smiled.

"Then I'll do it since she's my girlfriend," he said.

"Does Melina suffer from any Post Traumatic Stress Disorder? Has anything tragically happened to her before all of this came up? I know the owners well enough that during the challenge, they will force her to her knees and put a gun to her head incase you lose, and I don't want it to trigger anything if it can," said Angel.

No one knew the truth about what was causing Melina's nightmares except for Jack and Bobby. Bobby then looked at Jack.

"Jack?" said Bobby.

"We can't let them do that. You see, I saved her once. Her parents were put on their knees in a Bank Robbery and shot, I saved her life," he replied.

There was silence until Jack's cellphone rang as Melina had called him up since it was the one thing that the owners didn't know that she had with her. As Jack watched his brothers faces waiting to hear what they had to say, and as he stood there, he started to think of a plan. Maybe he could get Bobby to get going in posing as a Cop, it was worth a shot. Jack picked up his phone answering as he watched his brothers more.

"Hello?" he answered.

Melina was crying softly but was able to choke back her tears long enough to talk.

"Jack? Thank goodness you answered … they don't know I have my cellphone with me, but please get me out of here, I'm begging you," she begged.

"Don't worry, I have a plan … one that's better and coming along but I've got to tell the guys first, just try to keep your phone hidden. Call back in awhile if you get too nervous," he said.

Melina softly sighed.

"Alright but please make it quick, and Jack? I love you," she said.

"I love you too," he said.

Jack then hung up the phone as Melina slightly smiled. She hid her phone just in time for the Club Owners to come back into the room. They talked to her about trying to get Jack to come to the Club so they could kill him but when she refused to go with their plan; they both hit her, as bruises appeared shortly after.

"Alright, here's what I have in mind. Bobby can do something I know he's wanted to do for awhile. Dress up like a Cop and go in and grab Melina and bring her back here. I don't think they would want to go up against Cops," he said.

The brothers all looked at Jack and then at each other hearing the plan as Bobby then thought it through all the way and then smiled.

"I'm in, sounds like a good plan, but where would we get the Uniform? Ask Officer Green and what's his face to lend us one so I can pose as a Cop?" Bobby asked.

Jack shook his head.

"Actually no … I do tend to know where Officer Green gets his Uniform dry cleaned every week, and tonight happens to be the night he dropped them off. So let's say we go borrow one," he replied.

Bobby smirked.

"Well then yeah, lets go do it … I'm sure Melina would be glad to get out of there before the twenty – four hours is up … it's just hard that they would this to her just to get at us for the money. By the way, was that her on the phone? If it was, is she doing okay?" Bobby asked.

Jack nodded.

"Yeah, it was, I know that she is scared and wants to get out of there," he replied.

Back at the Club, Melina took her cellphone out and quickly snapped photos of the forming bruises on her face as well as the guns that they dropped off in the room incase the twenty – four hours weren't met and sent the photos to Jack's cellphone. Jack then looked at his phone and then once he saw the photos, he dropped his phone and then punched the wall. Bobby looked at the other two as he then picked up the phone and saw the photos. He sighed as he looked at Jack.

"Time's running out … time to go Jack. Do you know which Dry Cleaner's Officer Green would be dropping his suit off at? Here's a better question, do you want to drive?" Bobby asked.

Jack looked at Bobby and could only manage a nod as he went to get the keys and headed out the door. Bobby sighed as they followed him out and got in the Car and then went to the Dry Cleaners. They pulled up to the front of the Cleaners as Jack looked at his brothers.

"Wait here," he said.

Jack got out as the brothers waited for him as he went to the back door and knocked. One of the guys in his band opened the door and handed him one of the Uniforms, as he nodded a thanks. Jack got back into the car and handed the Uniform to Bobby. Bobby looked at him with a slight worry.

"We're going to get her out of there Jack, don't worry. Once we get her out though, we may need to take her to the Doctors or the Hospital even to get some Medical Attention," said Bobby.

Bobby tried to get the Uniform on as much as he could in the car knowing that he would be able to finish doing so once getting to the Nightclub. He then gave Jack the nod to go ahead and drive. Jack nodded back as he started the car and headed towards the Club. All he could think about was getting Melina out of there and having her back in his arms. Once they got there, Bobby got out and finished putting on the Uniform as he looked at his brothers.

"Wait here, this shouldn't take long," said Bobby.

Bobby then headed towards the building and went in as the Club Owners walked up to him.

"What can we do for you Officer?" the first Club Owner asked.

"I heard that there's a girl locked up upstairs … someone who belongs to the Mercers, I want you to release her now or you'll both be arrested for kidnapping," Bobby demanded.

Both of the Club Owners swallowed hard as they pointed to the door where they kept her and handed him the key as he thanked them. He then walked upstairs to the room, unlocking the door and opened it. He then saw Melina as she smiled knowing it was Bobby and ran into his arms to hug him.

"Thank you for saving me Bobby. Where's Jack?" she asked.

"He's waiting in the car. Now we got to make this professional looking, okay?" Bobby replied.

Jack's grip tightened on the steering wheel as he waited for Bobby. Time seemed to be taking forever.

"Where is he?" he asked impatiently.

He looked for any sign of Bobby or of Melina. All he wanted was to have her back in his arms and nothing was going to calm him down until he had it. Melina and Bobby walked out of the room and down the stairs as Bobby handed the key back to the Owners and walked out with her. They both walked out to the car as he began unbuttoning the Uniform Shirt to get it off as she headed straight for Jack. Jack got out of the car and looked at her, opening his arms for her to come into.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

Jack couldn't help but ask as he looked her over to see if anything might be wrong with her. Melina nodded.

"Yeah, I'm okay, but can we please get out of here, I don't want to be here anymore?" she asked.

"Sure, no problem, lets get out of here," he replied.

Jack opened the car door and let her inside. He got back in and started up the car taking one last look back at her, as he let her sit beside Bobby. He drove them back home as soon as he could. There was silence in the car until Bobby broke it, since Melina had fallen asleep.

"So one of us will have to return the Uniform, and are you feeling any better now that Melina's safe?" Bobby asked.

Jack looked back with a slight grin.

"Do you want to return it Bobby? And yeah, I do feel better, but I just hope she's safe for good. I don't want to let anything else to happen to her," he replied.

"So, what are you thinking? I mean, there has to be something going on in your mind especially when it comes to Melina," Bobby asked.

Jack smiled a bit as he looked at the road ahead.

"You know me Bobby, always thinking, never talking about it out loud," he replied.

Jack pulled the car up to their place and parked it. He and his brothers got out. He then opened the door and took Melina into his arms and started to walk up to the front door.

"Bobby, get the door, please?" he smiled.

Jack looked down at her sleeping as Bobby opened the door, looking at him while the other brothers went inside.

"You know Jack, you two have been together for quite awhile and I know she's attached to you. You better make the next move on her or else you'll lose her," said Bobby.

Jack walked inside as he turned back to Bobby for a moment.

"I don't plan on losing her Bobby, don't you worry about that," he smiled more.

Jack once again looked down at Melina sleeping in his arms, and then looked back at Bobby.

"Though you could always help me with getting the right Ring for her," he mentioned.

Jack smiled as he started to head up the stairs slowly and carefully as he could.

"So then you're going to propose to her soon?" Bobby asked.

Jack stopped and looked back at him.

"Yeah, eventually … when the time's right," he replied.

Jack went upstairs all the way and into his room as he laid the sleeping Melina gently down on his bed. As soon as she was laid down, he took his shirt off and laid down next to her. He took her gently into his arms and fell asleep.

**1 Week Later**

The Mercers went out to take care of the leads that came to them on their mother's murder. Jack followed along doing whatever Bobby told him to do. Bobby watched out for Jack as much as needed, though Jack always thought of himself as capable enough to take care of himself. His mind should have been on the work at hand but it was mostly on Melina wondering if she was alright, since they had left her alone. While they were gone, Melina decided to go to the Bank to go withdrawal some money from her account to go buy groceries so she could make dinner for the Mercers. She left the house and walked down to the Bank, and as soon as she went inside, was the very minute that two men started to pull their guns out and start robbing the place. They ordered everyone to get on the ground and slide their cellphones to the center of the room, as everyone did as they were told. Before Melina went down onto the floor after sliding her cellphone to the center, she took a good look at the Robbers. They were the same people that executed her Parents. The Robbers were too occupied with getting the money and didn't watch the people on the ground. She quietly stood up as her fangs became visible and then lunged towards one of the Robbers biting his neck as he cried out in pain, alarming the other Robber. Before long, that Robber fell dead to the ground and then went after the second one before he could do anything to her and bit his neck. She killed him as well. When both Robbers were dead, everyone got up and grabbed their cellphones and all thanked Melina for saving their lives. As she was exiting the Bank, the Police showed up, one of them being Officer Green, the one who knew the Mercers really well. They rushed in to make sure everyone was okay but when Officer Green spotted her, he immediately saw the blood around her mouth knowing what she was and saw the bodies inside. He then pulled out his handcuffs and began reading her rights as he arrested her. Once she was in handcuffs, she was escorted to the Police Car and put in the back. Before they left the scene, they called a Coroner as it arrived shortly after, and the Cops took her to the Police Department and interrogated her. They then locked her up in the Holding Cell that they specifically had for the Mercers. She sat down on the bed as Officer Green called the house leaving a message.

"Hey Mercers, I wanted to let you know that I have Melina down here at the Station locked up. It seems she's murdered two Bank Robbers that we've been searching for. We don't know if the Charges will be pressed but come down to the Station and we'll talk," said Officer Green.

He then hung up as he sat down as his desk knowing that the Mercers would arrive like they always did for each other. Once the Mercers had finished and arrived back home, Jack was out of the car and ran up to the house. As soon as he was inside, he ran up the stairs looking for Melina all over but found no sight of her. While he was searching for her, Bobby went over to the Answering Machine and started listening, hearing the one from Officer Green about Melina. Jack started to come down the stairs and saw Bobby waiting for him.

"I can't find Melina anywhere, is she down here?" he asked.

Jack continued to look at him, but the look on Bobby's face made him stop dead in his tracks.

"Come on, I'll explain on the way," Bobby replied.

Bobby pointed to the door as Jack followed him out wondering what was going on. Jack was finally filled in as they reached the Police Station and as soon as the car stopped, Jack was out and running inside.

"Where is she?" he asked.

He made his way to the front desk and leaned over towards Maya Turner, who was the Worker of the day.

"Melina Riley, where is she?" he asked again.

He was nearly to the point of yelling as his brothers followed him behind him. Maya looked at Jack.

"I thought Officer Green told you that we have her locked up in the Holding Cell, am I wrong?" Maya asked.

Bobby slightly glared at her.

"We got the message Officer," Bobby replied.

"So then you know that Melina can't be trusted … if I were you, I would really keep an eye on her. You don't know if she's going to steal from you or not," Maya warned.

Jack looked at her more and then shook his head some.

"I guess you don't know anything about the Mercers, we don't really have anything worth stealing, even our souls are gone," he said.

Jack looked back at Bobby with that single look of impatience he always seemed to have. Bobby stepped forward in front of him.

"I'd just keep quiet if I were you … Mercers don't like Cops," said Bobby.

Maya got up and opened the door to the back where Officer Green was keeping an eye on Melina. Jack rushed to the back followed by Bobby. Officer Green looked up and slightly smirked knowing that he would see the Mercers.

"Where are the rest of you?" Officer Green asked.

Jack was ready to attack him when Bobby held him back while he addressed Officer Green.

"Angel is waiting in the car, and Jerry is with his family, you know same old thing with us Mercers. Me and Jackie here are the running boys," Bobby replied.

Bobby gave Officer Green his normal smug look, with that slight cocky grin that pissed off most people.

"So what's going to happen now? You going to let her go? How much is it going to cost us?" Bobby asked.

Bobby still held Jack back while he was trying to gather all of the information. Officer Green slightly sighed.

"Well, we will let her go on bail for five hundred dollars, but if it happens again, she may face going to jail and on a more expensive bail," Officer Green replied.

Bobby looked at Melina and then back at Officer Green, as he then pulled out his wallet taking the needed money out and putting it on the desk.

"Her bail is paid, so release her," said Bobby.

Officer Green got up and unlocked the Cell door as Melina stepped out slowly as Jack put his arms around her and looked at her with direct eye contact.

"Don't turn into one of us, it's not worth it, believe me," he mentioned.

Bobby looked at her.

"For once, listen to him, he knows what he's talking about," said Bobby.

Melina softly sighed.

"Alright, I'll listen but I can't make any guarantees," she mentioned.

Officer Green looked at the three of them.

"You Mercers can go now," said Officer Green.

Without a word, the three of them walked out and out to the Car as they got in. Bobby then looked at her.

"What the hell were you thinking Mel?" Bobby questioned.

"I was thinking about trying to become the heroine, do the same thing that Jack did … if I didn't kill the Robbers, there would be a lot of people dead in that Bank," she answered.

"Melina, you don't get it, because of your heroine stunt, you exposed yourself to what you are … you know that's a bad thing, right?" Bobby asked.

"What's the worst that can happen to me?" she asked.

"You do know that there are Supernatural Hunters out there, right?" Bobby asked.

"Oh yeah? Like whom?" she questioned.

"The Winchesters … Dean and Sam … ring any bells?" Bobby asked.

Melina's eyes widened.

"You're kidding me, right?" she asked.

Bobby shook his head.

"No, I'm not kidding, now that you put yourself in the spotlight, someone's going to call the Winchesters and ask them to come out to Detroit to hunt you down and possibly kill you," Bobby replied.

"Are you going to allow them to do that?" she asked.

Bobby sighed.

"As much as I don't want to, I'm thinking I should," Bobby replied.

Melina looked at Jack.

"Jack, are you going to let them hunt me?" she questioned.

Jack sighed.

"As much as I want to prevent it from happening, I don't know if I can," he replied.

Melina scoffed.

"Thanks for nothing," she said.

Melina then looked at Bobby.

"Stop the Car Bobby," she demanded.

Bobby then stopped the Car and then Melina got out. Jack followed after her, as he grabbed her arm. She turned around and glared at him.

"LET ME GO JACK!" She demanded.

"No, I'm not going to let you go … you're going to get back in the Car and go home with us," he said.

"ARE YOU GOING TO MAKE ME?!" she snapped.

"Well no, but I want you to," he replied.

"What's the point? Every time I'm at home with you four, something always comes up and you leave for days … give me a reason to go back with you guys," she said.

"If we leave you alone again for too long, then you can leave me," he mentioned.

Melina thought for a moment.

"What if I get locked up?" she questioned.

"One of us will come and bail you out and not force you to come back with us," he replied.

"Deal?" she asked.

"Deal … now would you please get back in the Car?" he questioned.

Melina nodded. She then got back in the Car as Jack followed. Bobby looked at them.

"Is everything okay with you two now?" Bobby asked.

Jack nodded.

"Yeah, things are fine, thanks for your concern," he replied.

"I'm just trying to look out for you," said Bobby.

Bobby then drove them all home. As soon as they got home, they all went inside as Melina immediately went upstairs. Bobby looked at Jack.

"When are you going to make the next move on her?" Bobby questioned.

"Soon, when the time is right," he replied.

"You're losing her Jack, and you know it … don't wait for much longer because if you do, you'll lose her for good, and I don't want that to happen to you," said Bobby.

"Look Bobby, I know … I have it all figured out for the most part," he mentioned.

"I hope so," said Bobby.

Jack then nodded very slightly and then went upstairs to their room. He then walked in as he looked at her.

"You okay babe?" he asked.

Melina nodded.

"Yeah, I'm okay, and I'm sorry about earlier," she apologized.

Jack slightly shook his head.

"Don't worry about it, our relationship can be perfect but not that perfect," he smiled.

Melina smiled back.

"Well that's good to know, I must say," she smiled.

Jack then went over to the bed and laid down with her as Melina rested her head on his chest.

"I love you Jack," she mentioned.

Jack continued to smile.

"I love you too Melina … I do want to ask you something though," he said.

"You can ask me anything, so what is it?" she asked.

"Would you ever consider in marrying me? I'm just curious," he asked.

Melina slightly sat up as she looked at him.

"Of course I would … why would you ask me a question like that?" she asked.

Jack slightly shrugged.

"I don't know, I just thought I'd ask," he replied.

"Okay, well I hope that helps," she commented.

"It helps a lot, thanks," he thanked.

"Anything for you," she smiled.

Melina then leaned in and softly kissed him. She then laid her head back down on his chest. They eventually both fell asleep and were for an hour until Bobby knocked on the door.

"Jack, you in there?" Bobby asked.

Jack woke up as soon as he heard his name, and got out of bed slowly so he wouldn't wake Melina up as he went over to the door and opened it.

"Yeah, what is it?" he groggily asked.

"We know everyone who helped Victor kill our mother," Bobby replied.

Jack's eyes went wide.

"Really?" he asked.

Bobby nodded.

"Yeah, even though we already killed the mains, there are people who helped with the set up," Bobby replied.

Jack then walked out of the room and closed the door softly behind him.

"Where are they?" he questioned.

"They have a hideout on the other side of town, so that's where they can mostly be found," Bobby replied.

"Great, when do we leave?" he asked.

"As soon as you're ready," Bobby replied.

Jack smirked.

"Okay, let me tell Mel that I'm leaving and will be back later tonight," he said.

"Alright, do what you need to do … we'll be waiting downstairs for you," said Bobby.

Jack gave a nod of understanding as he then went back into the room quietly. Bobby went downstairs to where the other two brothers were. Jack then walked over to the bed where Melina was still sleeping and climbed back in. He then kissed her lips softly as she then woke up.

"Good mood much?" she smiled.

"Maybe, but I have a little bit of bad news," he said.

Melina slowly sat up in bed.

"What's wrong?" she questioned.

"Bobby found the rest of the guys we've been looking for and we were going to get them taken care of," he answered.

"Jack, you promised," she commented.

Jack sighed.

"I know Melina but it won't take us long. They're on the other side of town. All we have to do is go, kill, and return … I'll be home tonight, I promise," he said.

"What if you're not?" she asked.

"Then you can leave me," he replied.

Melina softly sighed as she looked at Jack. He leaned in and kissed her once more.

"Please Melina? Just let me do this and after we take care of them, it's over and I'll never have to leave again against my will," he begged.

Melina softly sighed once more.

"Fine, but if you're gone longer than tonight, then I'm going to leave, understand?" she questioned.

Jack nodded.

"Perfectly," he replied.

"Okay, good, then go," she slightly smiled.

Jack smiled as he kissed her again and grabbed his shoes and walked out. He went downstairs as he put his shoes on and walked out the door with his brothers. They all got in the Car and drove off, leaving Melina by herself. As soon as they left, she went back to sleep for another couple of hours.

Later that night, Melina was going to go make some dinner thinking that the guys would be hungry when they got back, when there was a knock on the door. She walked out of the Kitchen and over to the door as she opened it and standing before her was Officer Maya Turner.

"You're not here because or for the Mercers, are you?" she questioned.

Maya shook her head.

"No, I'm here in regards to your brother Jared," Maya replied.

Melina opened the door more.

"Come in," she said.

Maya stepped out of the way as Maya entered the house and went over to the couch and sat down. Melina then looked at her.

"What do you know about my brother Jared?" she questioned.

"He's here in town just … well, he's been kidnapped," Maya replied.

"And you know this how?" she asked.

Maya then took a note out of her pocket and handed it to Melina. Melina took the note from her and unfolded it and began to read it.

"_I have Jared and if you ever want to see him alive again, you will do as I say. You have until midnight at the end of the week to bring me the money to the Nightclub. If you fail to follow the orders, I will slowly tear him apart limb by limb. – Azazel."_

Melina then folded the note back up and looked at Melina.

"How did you get this note?" she questioned.

"He appeared at the Station," Maya answered.

"So what do you want me to do about it? I know I'm dealing with Demons, but still," she asked.

"Get your brother back and do what you need to do in order to do so. I promise you, you'll be in the clear and not get arrested for anything," Maya replied.

"Fine, you leave it up to me, and no arresting me … you also leave the Mercers alone," she said.

"Deal," said Maya.

Maya then got up and walked out as Melina did what she needed to do to get prepared for finding her brother. She then wrote Jack a note.

"_Jack, I've left to go find my brother after Officer Maya Turner gave me some leads. I'll call to check in soon and be back as soon as I can. I love you so much. – Melina."_

Melina then left the note on the counter and grabbed what she needed to and walked out, locking the door behind her. She then started walking down the dark road to go find her brother and the kidnappers.


End file.
